Despite federal probe, patients of Palm Beach County eye doctor see him as ‘godsend’
By Jay Weaver, The Miami Herald | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
But today, the
"He's not a conservative eye doctor," said the 61-year-old Haza. "He's always been on the cutting edge."
That's not exactly how the
Perhaps best known for his close friendship with U.S. Sen.
Investigators believe he provided treatments for patients with "wet" macular degeneration --leaky blood vessels that damage the area of the eye responsible for central vision -- that were often medically unnecessary, according to sources familiar with the criminal probe. Melgen has become
But Melgen, a multimillionaire who regularly travels in his private plane from
He's fighting back in
"Dr. Melgen cares deeply about his patients and works tirelessly to improve their vision and quality of life," said
"Dr. Melgen continues to cooperate with the government, and we hope that the investigation will be concluded soon so that the doctor can continue focusing on his patients' care."
Melgen has been on
According to the audit, the
In 2007 and 2008, Melgen typically used each vial to treat four patients and billed
The
In June,
In response, however, Melgen's lawyers sued the Health and Human Serevices Secretary
In the end,
Of course, Melgen would have had to spend more of his own money to buy more Lucentis vials from the drug manufacturer to treat the same number of patients.
After all that wrangling,
Meanwhile, Melgen's legal dispute with
In 2009 and again in 2012, Menendez asked top
A federal grand jury in
But the panel, convened by the
Melgen was thrust into the national spotlight -- along with Menendez -- when federal agents raided his
The news media reported on his medical practice and his multimillion-dollar investments in a variety of businesses, including a data company in
His patients -- several of whom agreed to talk with the
For their part, four of Melgen's patients said they had no clue about the federal investigation, but also said they didn't understand why the government was targeting him. Collectively, they spoke of him as a "godsend" who has improved their vision with Lucentis injections along with other treatments for macular degeneration. It is a major cause of blindness among older adults.
"He stays right on top of it," Sax, 75, said. "He's not letting it get to a point where I'm regressing.
"What's happened to me over the last two or three months is remarkable. I see the form of things if not the detail," said Sax, who is able to travel to Melgen's
At a braille club a few years ago, several people with detached retinas recommended that he see Melgen, who encouraged him to change his lifestyle and lose weight. The doctor treats him with the combination of Lucentis injections and laser procedures.
"It was like a miracle," said Pimentel, 45, of
"All I want right now is a little bit of eye sight," he said, "and I'm closer than I've ever been."
Another patient,
"I was in darkness and he turned back on the light on life for me," said the mother of three grown children. "Now I can read ... I can go anywhere."
Haza, who hosts Spanish-language news shows on Z92.3 FM and MegaTV in
Said Haza: "I think he's on a mission to help people."
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